1.0"
SSDs - which also includes motherboard soldered SSD chips and modules.

What
really distinguishes the ExpressCard SSD market, however, is that it's the easiest
way for users to perform an SSD upgrade on their notebooks. The other
mentioned methods (which are significantly higher volume markets) tend to be
done by the oem who made the notebook.

Several manufacturers have
introduced dual interface SATA
+ USB SSDs - to simplify
user upgrades. This involves transferring the data image from the internal hard
drive onto the target SSD using USB - and then replacing the HDD with its SSD
clone. But I expect that in the long term - ExpressCard will be the most
popular choice for end-user SSD notebook upgrades. The reasons?

there's less to go wrong, and

the whole process is quicker

The main disadvantage of ExpressCard
SSDs is that they are nearly always much slower than the available
alternatives.

The ExpressCard interface and form factor is a logical
descendant / inheritor of PCMCIA
which provided internal expansion slots in earlier generations of portable PCs,
phones and other mobile systems.

SSDs are among the most
expensive items of computer hardware many of you will ever buy - with high end
models costing more than high end servers.

Understanding the factors
which determine SSD costs is often a confusing and irritating process - not
made any easier when market prices for identical capacity SSDs can vary more
than 100x to 1! This new guide suggests simple tactics to help
you. ...read the
articleJune 2009

PhotoFast launched
the fastest ExpressCard
- the G-Monster Express card 54. Initially for the Japanese market. R/W speeds
are 180MB/s and 100MB/s respectively.